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  • Chester County poll book problems on Election Day were due to human error, insufficient oversight, report finds

    Chester County poll book problems on Election Day were due to human error, insufficient oversight, report finds

    Independent and unaffiliated voters were left off Chester County’s poll books in November’s election due to human error exacerbated by insufficient training, poor oversight and staffing challenges in the county office, an independent firm has concluded.

    In November, more than 12,000 Chester County voters were forced to vote by provisional ballot after the county included just registered Democrats and Republicans in the poll books for the general election. Every voter who wanted to was able to cast a ballot, county officials said, but it resulted in a chaotic scene and the county had to issue an unusually high number of provisional ballots — which require more steps to cast and count.

    Chester County poll book error forces independents to vote provisionally through the afternoon

    On Thursday, the county released a 24-page report from a West Chester law firm detailing how the county failed to include more than 75,000 registered voters in its general election poll books, and evaluating the state and county’s response as it scrambled to ensure those voters could cast ballots.

    “Importantly, our investigation found no evidence of intentional wrongdoing, misconduct, or bad faith on the part of any of the employees who generated the Poll Books. The error was inadvertent and occurred in the course of performing assigned duties under significant time constraints,” the report, prepared by Fleck, Eckert, Klein and McGarry LLC, said.

    “Though the initial selection constituted a human error, the investigation found that the error occurred within a system lacking in: (i) sufficient safeguards, (ii) training, (iii) sufficient supervision, and; (iv) verification controls,” investigators added.

    What’s next in Chester County?

    The firm’s report detailed more than a dozen recommended steps for the county and Department of State to take to prevent future errors.

    In an action plan released Thursday, Chester County officials said they intend to abide by the vast majority of those recommendations, as well as additional steps identified by the county’s Chief Experience Officer.

    Chester County Chief Executive Officer David Byerman said in a statement that the recommendations would be completed within a year, with the most critical steps coming ahead of May’s primary election.

    The action plan included improved training and more strenuous review processes, reevaluation of Voter Services staff levels and pay, and a review of human resources policies in the department. It did not include personnel changes within its Voter Services Department.

    Nearly 30 employees have left Chester County’s election office since 2021 amid allegations of toxic work culture

    The 25-person department has faced unusually high turnover among staff in recent years, losing 29 employees to resignations, firings and transfers since the current director, Karen Barsoum, took over in 2021.

    Barsoum has faced allegations of fostering a toxic work environment, which Thursday’s report acknowledged. However, the firm concluded that those complaints were not connected to the poll book error and said in its report that employees directly connected to the poll book blunder spoke positively about department management.

    “Moreover, the various causes of the Poll Book issue that we have identified do not appear to have any causal nexus with the types of concerns raised,” the report said.

    How did the error happen?

    According to the report, two employees inadvertently chose the wrong selection of Chester County voters when they used the statewide voter roll software to create November’s poll books. Those employees, the report said, were inexperienced and had never been formally trained on the system they were using. While the employees had a copy of written training materials from the Department of State, the report noted that they worked with “little direct supervision” for their level of experience.

    After the wrong set of voters were chosen — leaving off third party and unaffiliated voters — the report said no one in the department checked the books until a poll worker noticed the problem shortly before polls opened on Election Day.

    The report noted the department’s high turnover, which it said could be the result of the high-pressure environment of election-related work and Chester County’s low pay compared to surrounding counties. That turnover, the report said, created “increased operational risk” which contributed to the error.

    Following the incident, the county said it will review staffing and pay levels for the office as well as its human resources policies.

    “We know that working in elections is an extremely difficult job – one that involves long hours and many personal sacrifices,” Byerman said. “We are truly grateful for the commitment and dedication of the staff in Voter Services, and want to ensure that we are doing everything we can to provide the resources, tools, and support they need to be successful in their roles.”

    The department, the county’s action plan said, will also establish additional approval checks for poll books and other procedures that impact all Chester County voters.

    County officials also said they intend to improve training for the department, including working with the Pennsylvania Department of State to implement formal training on the state’s voter roll system.

    “The Department always stands ready to assist counties with training of employees on the [Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors] system and other aspects of election administration and is happy to engage Chester further to improve its training process,” the Pennsylvania Department of State said in a statement.

    The agency added that its ongoing effort to modernize the statewide voter roll system will include checks and alerts for unusual poll book configurations once completed.

    Chester County is scheduled to hold a public meeting Tuesday evening to present its plan to the public. If the forecasted winter storm closes county offices that day, the meeting will be postponed to Feb. 3.

  • A Philly-area university prof is competing in the Jeopardy! tournament of champions

    A Philly-area university prof is competing in the Jeopardy! tournament of champions

    As Joshua Weikert shared ground rules for quizzes in his early morning international relations class, he sought to put his students at ease.

    “I don’t want you stressing out about these,” he said Tuesday, as the new semester got underway at Immaculata University in Chester County. “I myself was a terrible student.”

    Weikert, 47, of Collegeville, may not have been a star student, but he sure knows a lot.

    The politics and public policy professor will compete on Jeopardy! 2026 Tournament of Champions at 7 p.m. Friday on ABC, having won six games when he was on the show in March.

    Joshua Weikert teaches a class in international relations at Immaculata University.

    Over a couple weeks, Jeopardy! shows will feature him vying against 20 other champions, including Allegra Kuney, a doctoral student at Rutgers University’s New Brunswick campus, and Matt Massie, a Philadelphia lawyer who moved to the area in 2024, who also will appear on Friday’s show.

    Friday’s match is a quarter-final, and if Weikert wins, he’ll advance to the semifinals. (Kuney won her quarter-final Tuesday.)

    Weikert won about $103,000 when he competed last year, 10% of which he donated to a memorial scholarship fund named for his late friend, Jarrad Weikel, a Phoenixville man who died unexpectedly at age 40 in 2022. The winner of the champions tournament —which will conclude sometime in early February — will take home a grand prize of a quarter million.

    Weikert will watch the show Friday among family and friends — including his fellow contestant Massie — at Troubles End Brewing in Collegeville, which named one of its beers after him. It’s an English Bitter, one of Weikert’s favorites, called “Who is Josh?”

    At Immaculata, a Catholic college where Weikert has taught since 2016, students and staff are stoked. A campus watch party is planned, President Barbara Lettiere said.

    His appearance last year, she said, has put a welcome spotlight on the school and brought an outpouring of enthusiasm from alumni. On tours, some prospective students and their parents who spot Weikert have recognized him, she said.

    “I never knew that this show was as watched as it appears to be,” she said. “Win or lose, Immaculata wins.”

    Student Ben Divens talks about his Jeopardy-star professor Joshua Weikert.

    Ben Divens, 19, said it’s “jaw-dropping” and “surreal” to know his teacher will compete in the Jeopardy! champion tournament.

    “I knew from the first time I met him he was a super, super smart person,” said Divens, a prelaw major from Souderton.

    “He’s guided us so much in our major already,” added Bailey Kassis, 18, a political science major from Fort Washington.

    “He’s guided us so much in our major already,” student Bailey Kassis said about her professor Joshua Weikert.

    An early gamer

    Weikert said he has watched Jeopardy! ever since he can remember, probably since 1984 when he was 6, and it came back on the air with Alex Trebek as host. He grew up just outside of Gettysburg in a family that loved to play games, he said.

    “We took them very seriously, which is to say that they didn’t just let the kids win,” he said of his parents, both of whom had accounting degrees. “We were destroyed routinely in the games we played.”

    About his performance as a student, he said he often skipped his homework.

    “Just give me an exam,” he said, describing his attitude at the time. “I’ll pass it.”

    He got his bachelor’s degree in international relations from West Chester University, master’s degrees from Villanova and Immaculata, and his doctorate from Temple. He also attended the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, where he studied modern standard Arabic while serving in the U.S. Army.

    Joshua Weikert sets expectations for students as a new semester gets underway at Immaculata University.

    In addition to teaching, he also works as a policy adviser to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives under state Rep. Joe Webster, a Democrat serving part of Montgomery County. He vets legislators’ ideas and offers ideas of his own.

    “The only thing they’ve ever told me no on was [when] I tried to abolish the Pennsylvania Senate,” he said.

    So many bills pass one body, then die in the other, he explained. If there were one legislative body where all House and Senate members served, that might be different, he said.

    Weikert’s office walls are lined with framed newspaper front pages highlighting major events: “Nixon Resigns,” “Nazis Surrender,” “Man Walks on Moon,” “Kennedy Shot to Death.”

    “Every once in a while, I just get up and read one of the stories,” he said.

    He got them from his mother-in-law’s basement and put them up after his wife told him his office needed some decor.

    Weikert’s status as a Jeopardy! champion makes clear he’s a fast thinker. He’s also a fast talker.

    “I don’t really drink caffeine. I just talk this fast,” he told his students.

    His wife, he told the class, tells him to slow down.

    “Keep up,” he tells her, he said.

    The road to Jeopardy

    Since his mid-20s, Weikert has been trying to get on Jeopardy!. Years ago, he got a call from the game show, but he put the caller on hold to get to a quiet place. They hung up.

    “I was like, well, I guess I missed that opportunity,” he said.

    But he kept trying and started taking the online tests, which typically draw 200,000 participants annually. In 2024, he got an email, inviting him to take the test again — and then again under Zoom surveillance.

    Next came a virtual audition and practice game in August 2024. That earned him a place in a pool of about 3,000 people, of whom a few hundred eventually became contestants.

    Weikert got the call last January and was invited to fly to California the next month to compete.

    In reality, his varied interests and life path had already prepared him for the show. He reads a lot. He’s a fan of historical fiction, pop culture, and movies. His work as a public policy scholar helps, too.

    But to try and up his game, he read plots of Shakespeare plays and a book on great operas. He flipped through lists of presidents and vice presidents. His wife, Barbara, a Norristown School District middle school music teacher, read questions to him from old Jeopardy! shows. He knew about 80% of the answers, he said.

    That, however, didn’t stop him from having panic dreams of being on stage and knowing nothing.

    The toughest category for him, he said, is popular music. Movies, history, and politics are his strongest.

    But the hardest questions, he said, are the ones with four or five strong possible answers.

    “Getting a Jeopardy! answer right is more about knowing what it’s not than what it is,” he said.

    Ultimately, he said, it’s impossible to really study for the game show.

    “The odds that something you study would come up is almost zero,” he said.

    It was an intense experience on stage last March, but the staff put contestants at ease, he said. Host Ken Jennings, formerly one of the show’s most successful contestants, told them, according to Weikert: “I promise you something today is going to be a win for you, so just relax and have fun.”

    He has a hard time remembering his winning answers. He readily recalls his dumbest, he said.

    The answer was “sacred cow.” He uttered “holy cow.”

    “Even as it was coming out of my mouth, I knew it was wrong,” he said.

    He’s proud that he only froze on one answer involving lyrics from the B-52’s “Love Shack,” he said.

    There was less pressure competing in the championship match last month, given he was already a winner, he said. But it was harder in that the contestants were the best of the best.

    “During the regular season, it’s a little under a quarter of a second between when you can start to buzz in and when the buzz actually comes,” he said. “In the tournament of champions, that drops to 0.08 seconds.”

    This time, he also prepped by reading children’s books on topics such as basic cell biology, a tip he got from another contestant.

    “It’s the simplest language they can use to convey the information,” he said.

    He also read the book, Timelines of Everything: From Woolly Mammoths to World Wars.

    He most enjoyed the camaraderie among contestants, he said. When filming was over, they hung out in a bar and — watched Jeopardy!.

    “We were yelling out the answers,” he said.

  • A homegrown and scrappy beauty boom is taking shape right here in Philadelphia

    A homegrown and scrappy beauty boom is taking shape right here in Philadelphia

    On a recent wintry evening at Queen Village’s Moon and Arrow, a group of 10 women poured essential oils into beakers, mixing them with carrier oils.

    They’d gathered for a workshop led by Tasha Gear, founder of local brand Linear Beauty, who instructed as they created a formula for body oils.

    The 10 women took a whiff of each other’s potions, commented on their notes, and took in the smells.

    Here was a perfect picture of Philadelphia’s beauty scene, which is having a moment — not the glossy, influencer-backed boom of coastal cities, but something scrappier, smarter, and deeply local.

    Across the city, indie founders are hand-batching serums, mixing skincare in one-kilogram beakers, and designing products meant to withstand SEPTA, summer humidity, and long work shifts.

    Leila McGurk (left) laughs with Leah Antonia at a DIY body oil workshop organized by local skincare brand Linear Beauty at Moon and Arrow, a boutique in Queen Village on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.

    They are united by a commitment to science, transparency, and community,

    At the center of this shift is Indie Shelf in Grays Ferry and Malvern, where cosmetic scientist Sabeen Zia helps customers navigate an often confusing clean-beauty landscape.

    “Clean beauty goes beyond ingredient lists,” the Main Line resident said. “It’s how a product is developed, packaged, and the values behind it.” Zia doesn’t draw up fear-based “toxic ingredient” lists. Instead, she relies on science-backed safety standards and direct conversations with product founders.

    “People come in because they want to support small businesses, but they stay because they’re stunned by the changes in their skin,” she said.

    Sabeen Zia runs Indie Shelf, which stocks a bunch of indie beauty brands. She also runs a brand called Muskaan that she sells at the store, in Philadelphia, December 11, 2025.

    Before opening the shop in 2019, Zia ran her own makeup line, Muskaan Beauty, which was cruelty-free, vegan, gluten-free, and halal. It struggled to get visibility — a challenge she realized many indie founders shared. “Philly didn’t have many clean beauty shops at the time,” she said. “It felt like a real gap in the market.”

    A gap that Indie Shelf aims to fill.

    Other local founders, too, swear by that community-first ethos.

    A former professor of English at Stockton University, Adeline Koh of Sabbatical Beauty, hand-batches high-concentration, K-beauty–inspired products, often using ingredients from neighborhood businesses, like Câphe Roasters and Baba’s Brew.

    “I wanted formulas that actually deliver what they promise,” she said. “Philly has so much pride in Philly-owned businesses. That made me feel this would be a really good market to build in. People here show up for their community.” She’s based in the Bok building.

    As for what feels uniquely “Philly” in Sabbatical Beauty’s identity, she doesn’t hesitate when asked.

    “We’re unapologetic about who we are, and that shows up in our emphasis on diversity: skin tones, body sizes, age. We want to expand what beauty means, not narrow it.”

    Sabeen Zia runs Indie Shelf, which stocks a bunch of indie beauty brands. She also runs a brand called Muskaan that she sells at the store, in Philadelphia, December 11, 2025.

    The brand is sold at local shops and spas.

    Sabbatical Beauty also pours back into the city’s maker ecosystem — donating masks and sanitizer during COVID, hosting holiday toy drives, running small-business markets, and partnering with the Equitable Skincare Project to fund donation facials for the trans community.

    It’s a similar story with brow artist Tara Giorgio.

    When the Lancaster native grew frustrated by the discontinuation of her favored brow beauty products, she created Brow Gang — her line of high-pigment brow mousse and powders that are, as she says, made “for real life.”

    Her products are sold in her two salons — in West Chester and Northern Liberties — and online.

    Essential oils and an instruction sheet are pictured before Linear Beauty’s DIY body oil workshop at Moon and Arrow, a boutique in the Queen Village section of Philadelphia, on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. Linear Beauty is an independent Philadelphia-based botanical skincare brand founded by Tasha Gear.

    Philly’s beauty customers, she said, are unique because this city is “a true melting pot — all cultures, all backgrounds, all brow textures, all lifestyles. We don’t like fluff in Philly and we want things that work and are priced reasonably.”

    People here are busy and “they want products that make their lives easier — fast routines, long-lasting wear, and formulas that hold up through humidity, work shifts, SEPTA, the gym, real everyday life.”

    Cosmetic chemist Tina D. Williams feels “there’s still a real lack of handmade, natural skincare” in the local market to feed that need.

    Her Center City-based DVINITI Skincare crafts small-batch, food-grade blends of natural oils like argan, jojoba, and almond, which are designed for customization. Her philosophy, too, is rooted in the city: “The first ingredient in every DVINITI product is love — and this City of Brotherly Love is the perfect home for a brand built on self-care.”

    Williams, who grew up in the Olney area and graduated from the Philadelphia High School for Girls, is all too familiar with the city’s cold winters and hot summers. “I grew up here, so I understand the kind of skincare [Philly] people need,” she said. She also sees the city’s scientific backbone as a natural fit for a chemistry-driven brand. “Philly is a tech hub and a leader in research and development. DVINITI is positioned well to scale and grow with the local resources here to support our clients’ needs.”

    Linear Beauty founder Tasha Gear poses for a portrait at a DIY body oil workshop hosted by the beauty brand at Moon and Arrow, a boutique in the Queen Village section of Philadelphia, on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.

    Another brand shaping the city’s beauty identity is Haiama Beauty, a Black woman–owned haircare line built in Philadelphia “because I love this city wholeheartedly,” said founder Allison Shimamoto.

    Haiama’s Grow & Strengthen Elixir takes four months to make and uses premium, organic argan oil — not because it’s the most profitable, but because it’s the right way to make it.

    Small-batch production allows the brand to source intentionally from BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and women-owned suppliers and to design products that work across all curl patterns— from the Leona red-light scalp stimulator to the multipurpose Everything Cream.

    What resonates with her Philly consumers, Shimamoto said, is connection. “People here want to know who’s behind the brand.”

    Linear Beauty products are pictured at a DIY Body Oil Workshop hosted by the brand at Moon and Arrow, a boutique in the Queen Village section of Philadelphia.

    Markets like Made@Bok and Art Star have helped Haiama meet customers face-to-face, build community, and grow within the city’s tight-knit maker ecosystem.

    Philadelphia’s indie founders agree that the city’s beauty identity is defined by three traits: creative, authentic, community driven.

    “The passion for high-quality products and supporting small business truly sets Philly brands apart,” said Zia. Even small details — easy drop-offs, quick restocks, face-to-face conversations with founder-formulators — become part of the city’s distinctive customer experience.

    Local customers meet founders in person, pick up their products, return for refills, and show up at pop-ups and farmers markets.

    Products at Indie Shelf, which stocks a bunch of indie beauty brands.

    Despite challenges like tariffs, supply-chain delays, and seasonal slowdowns, Zia remains hopeful. Her dream? “For Philly to be known as the city for indie beauty — a place where founders can scale without losing their authenticity.”

    Gear, who moved to Philadelphia in 2019 after spending a decade working in New York City’s Package Free Shop, agrees.

    “Philly is a pretty no-B.S. city,” she said. “That shows up in everything I make.”

  • Pa. public universities didn’t get a state funding increase this year, and they’re preparing for a tough enrollment outlook

    Pa. public universities didn’t get a state funding increase this year, and they’re preparing for a tough enrollment outlook

    The universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education were flat-funded this year for the first time since 2021-22.

    That funding, approved in the state budget deal lawmakers reached in November after a monthslong standoff, follows three years of state funding increases. In 2022-23, the system got a historic 15.7% increase.

    PASSHE includes the 10 state-owned public universities. (State-related universities, including Pennsylvania State and Temple, are funded separately.)

    Cheyney University, which is part of the system, got a special $5 million earmark “to develop and implement an enhanced transfer and workforce development initiative in partnership with a community college.” Cheyney, a historically Black college in Delaware and Chester Counties, and Community College of Philadelphia recently announced a partnership that will allow students to transfer seamlessly from CCP to Cheyney and earn bachelor’s degrees while remaining on CCP’s Philadelphia campus.

    Pennsylvania’s state university system sees first enrollment increase since 2010

    The state system had asked the state for a 6.5% increase in its general appropriation, which currently stands at $625 million. That would have brought in an additional $40 million for the 10-university system, said Christopher Fiorentino, chancellor of the system.

    But he said the system has been preparing for the possibility of a funding freeze and had increased tuition this year for the first time in seven years, raising an additional $25 million.

    Pennsylvania’s state university system sees first enrollment increase since 2010

    “We knew it was going to be difficult, given the revenue situation in the commonwealth,” he said. “We weren’t blindsided by this.”

    He said he was grateful for the system’s appropriation.

    “That’s a huge amount of money,” he said. “… It is a significant commitment to public higher education, and we really appreciate that support.”

    The system has requested a 5% state funding increase for 2026-27, which would allow universities to freeze tuition again, Fiorentino said.

    But Kenneth M. Mash, president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, the faculty union, said that would not be enough if tuition is to be frozen. And he has concerns about the freeze in state funding this year.

    “Too often, we go in there and act as if this is what we need to maintain the status quo, but the status quo is not good,” he said, citing technology and program needs. “We don’t have the support for students that we should have. We need to start paying attention to the quality of education and make sure it doesn’t suffer.”

    The system has been in a state of readjustment as it has lost about a third of its enrollment since 2010, including merging six of its universities into two entities. The system’s universities are: Cheyney, Commonwealth, East Stroudsburg, Indiana, Kutztown, Millersville, Penn West, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester.

    Planning for a drop in enrollment

    Another enrollment cliff is expected to begin this year as the population of high school graduates begins to drop.

    “The demographics right now going forward are unfavorable, so we have to continue to be prepared for the fact that even if we maintain our market share, we’re going to see declines in enrollment,” Fiorentino said.

    The system is attempting to recruit in new markets and bring back to college those who have some credits but no degree, he said. Older students may want more weekend, night, and online courses, and that is something the system is reviewing, too, he said.

    The system also is contemplating partnering with area doctoral institutions, such as Temple, to bring in doctoral students to teach at the system’s universities. That would save money on faculty hiring, while cultivating new potential talent for the system, he said.

    And the system is reevaluating its programs, he said. Ninety-five percent of students are graduating from half the programs the system offers, he said. Some of the larger enrollments are in business, education, health, and engineering, he said.

    But only 5% of students are enrolled in the other half of the system’s programs.

    “We have to take a look at that,” he said. “How do we redeploy the money that we currently are receiving to make sure that we’re supporting the programs that are critical to the success of the commonwealth?”

    Mash, the union president, said that bringing in doctoral students would create a viable stream of quality candidates, and that, under the contract, the system is permitted to employ a certain number of adjuncts. But he is concerned about eliminating programs with lower enrollments.

    “We should be providing as broad of a spectrum of opportunity for students as we can,” he said.

    Fiorentino said he was pleased to see Cheyney get the additional funding. The school, which has struggled with enrollment, saw an increase of 234 students — nearly 38% — this year, the highest percentage increase of any school in the system. Cheyney enrolls 851 students this year, its highest enrollment since 2014.

    The new effort will allow Philadelphia students to get a Cheyney degree without having to travel to the rural campus, he said.

    “A lot of their market is Philadelphia,” Fiorentino said of Cheyney, “and for a lot of the Philadelphia students, transportation has become more and more difficult.”

    Temple and Penn State were flat-funded again this year. Temple said in a statement that it was grateful to see the budget pass.

    “We also continue to be deeply grateful for the ongoing financial support that the university receives to reduce tuition costs for Pennsylvania residents,” the school said.

  • Get ready for an artsy new restaurant and cocktail bar | Inquirer Chester County

    Get ready for an artsy new restaurant and cocktail bar | Inquirer Chester County

    Hi, Chester County! 👋

    The group helping to revitalize Kennett Square’s Birch Street has two new projects in the works, including a restaurant and cocktail lounge. Also this week, a vacant office building in Exton has been converted to a new use, a Coatesville native is appearing on the new season of a reality TV show alongside Donna Kelce, plus why The Inquirer’s Craig LaBan says this West Chester restaurant is one to watch.

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    A new restaurant and cocktail lounge is opening in Kennett Square

    A rendering depicts the proposed exterior of Opus, a new restaurant and cocktail lounge slated to open in the summer.

    A new restaurant and cocktail lounge is coming to Kennett Square this summer. Opus will take over the two-story space at 201 Birch St., which is adjoined to 14-room boutique hotel Artelo. The restaurant space was most recently occupied by Hank’s Place while the Chadds Ford institution rebuilt its longtime home, which was flooded by Hurricane Ida in 2021.

    The 6,000-square-foot building will have a two-story terrace with outdoor dining and serve New American cuisine.

    Opus is the latest development from Square Roots Collective, which has been helping to revitalize Birch Street for the past decade, including through projects like The Creamery, the former dairy turned family-friendly beer garden. Another of its nearby projects, The Francis, is set to open this year. The boutique hotel at 205 S. Union St., also in Kennett Square, will have eight rooms in a reimagined 18th-century home.

    Read more about Opus and The Francis.

    📍 Countywide News

    • Scores of demonstrators protesting the killing of Renee Good by an ICE officer gathered across the region over the weekend, including a rally in West Chester on Sunday that drew about 1,000 attendees. (Daily Local News)
    • County officials are reviewing findings from an investigation into an error that excluded independent voters from poll books during the November election. Officials said they will develop a plan following their review so that similar errors don’t happen again. The county will present findings and its response at the Board of Elections meeting on Jan. 27 at 7 p.m.
    • PennDot is hosting two public meetings in the next week regarding plans for what it’s dubbed the U.S. 30 Eastern Project Area, which includes alternative routes for the Route 30 mainline and the Reeceville Road, Route 340, and Route 322 interchanges, as well as revised alternatives for the Norwood Road and Route 113 interchanges. The construction is part of a larger project to upgrade 14.5 miles of the Coatesville-Downingtown Bypass to reduce traffic congestion, improve safety, and accommodate future development. The first meeting will be held virtually tomorrow at 6 p.m. There’s a second in-person meeting on Tuesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Pope John Paul II Regional Catholic Elementary School in West Brandywine Township.
    • Good news for Regional Rail riders: SEPTA last week restored 24 express trips, including on the Paoli/Thorndale line, which had previously been operating as local services.

    💡 Community News

    • Four police officers were injured last week when responding to a call on the 400 block of Main Street in Atglen Borough. The officers detained Jon Marcos Muniz, who allegedly fired a handgun into two occupied apartments and barricaded his front door. No other injuries were reported. Muniz is facing a number of felony and misdemeanor charges.
    • M. Patricia Muller was selected as chair of Kennett Township’s Board of Supervisors last week, making her the first woman in the township’s history to hold the role.
    • West Vincent Township’s Board of Supervisors voted last week to pass an ordinance increasing membership on its Open Space Review Board from five to seven members. It also added a trails subcommittee.
    • Heads up for drivers: Newark Road in West Marlborough Township will be closed Monday through Friday next week from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for tree removal. Norwood Road in East Caln Township will be operating as a single lane with flaggers next Monday through Friday for sewer line work. Peco will be doing electrical work along Happy Creek Lane and Copeland School Road in West Bradford Township as part of a $450,000 infrastructure project to improve reliability and reduce outages, including from storms. Work is scheduled to take place January through April and will impact both roads and some residential yards.
    • A vacant office building at 319 N. Pottstown Pike in Exton has been transformed into “hotel-apartments” with 24 studio and eight one-bedroom units. The group behind it plans to market The Flats On 100 to consultants and visitors of nearby employers, such as Vanguard and QVC, and sees it as a potential model for the region’s empty office buildings.
    • Also in Exton, retailer Nordstrom Rack plans to open a 30,000-square-foot shop at Main Street at Exton this fall.
    • Could popular HBO series Mare of Easttown return for a second season? Kate Winslet seems to be ready for the Delaware County-set show, created by Berwyn native Brad Ingelsby, to return, and recently indicated filming could start as early as 2027. While the award-winning actor is on board, nothing official has been announced yet.
    • Coatesville native and figure skating icon Johnny Weir made his debut on the fourth season of Peacock reality TV show The Traitors last week. Weir is joined on this season of challenge-meets-eliminations-style show — hosted by Alan Cumming at his castle in Scotland — by Donna Kelce, Tara Lipinski, and a slew of reality TV personalities. The first three episodes dropped last week. Catch up on what happened here. (Warning: Spoilers!)
    • Phoenixville residents may have recently spotted an unusual sight on phone poles: Fliers that read “Seeking: Experienced Witch to Curse My Ex.” The Inquirer’s Brooke Schultz delves into how they came to be.
    • The GameStop at 1115 West Chester Pike in West Chester shuttered last week as part of a mass closure by the gaming retailer.

    🏫 Schools Briefing

    • Reminder for families: There are no classes Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
    • Avon Grove School District is considering adopting a new textbook, myPerspectives, from Savvas Learning Company for sixth through eighth grade English Language Arts students next school year. The public can review the textbook, which was put to the school’s education committee for consideration earlier this month, and provide feedback during a 30-day period through early February. The proposed change comes as part of the district’s regular curriculum review cycle, said Jason Kotch, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning.
    • Tredyffrin/Easttown School District has released its 2026-27 preliminary budget proposal, which includes a $14.9 million operational deficit. The district’s board and administration say they plan to close the gap through “a combination of increases in the property tax rate, expenditure reductions, or the use of existing reserves.” It will host budget workshops on March 9 and April 13, with plans to adopt the budget in June. The board will not vote on a tax rate before June 8. See the preliminary budget here. The district is also hosting a special school board meeting tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at Conestoga High School to discuss the school board director vacancy. And from Jan. 20 to 26, there will be an open registration period for all new kindergarten and first grade students planning to start school in September.
    • Octorara Area School District is hosting a “kindergarten readiness” event tomorrow from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Octorara Primary Learning Center in Atglen for families with children eligible for kindergarten next school year.
    • West Chester Area School District student registration for the 2026-27 school year is open.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    🎳 Things to Do

    👭 Steel Magnolias: Tickets are going fast for this adaptation of the popular 1989 film taking center stage for its monthlong run at People’s Light. ⏰ Wednesday, Jan. 14-Sunday, Feb. 15, days and times vary 💵 Prices vary 📍 People’s Light, Malvern

    🍔 Taste of Phoenixville: Now in its 24th year, the annual fundraiser will bring together over 20 food and drink vendors. There will also be live music and a silent auction. ⏰ Thursday, Jan. 15, 6 p.m. 💵 $150 📍 Franklin Commons, Phoenixville

    🌿 Winter Wonder: While Christmas may get most of the attention, Longwood Gardens’ conservatories will be filled with colorful plants throughout the remainder of winter. The gardens are open daily except Tuesdays. ⏰ Friday, Jan. 16-Sunday, March 22 💵 $17-$32 for non-members, free to members 📍 Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square

    🎭 Broadway at the Colonial Theatre: Several Broadway stars, including area native Amanda Jane Cooper, who played Glinda in the North American tour of Wicked, will perform. ⏰ Sunday, Jan. 18, 7 p.m. 💵 $30-$65 📍 The Colonial Theatre, Phoenixville

    🏡 On the Market

    A West Chester Colonial accessed via a covered bridge

    The front of the home has a covered porch.

    Situated in a wooded stretch of East Goshen, this Colonial, along with several others in its cul-de-sac, has a unique access point: Locksley Covered Bridge, which was erected in the 1960s. The four-bedroom, two-and-half-bath home features a family room, living room, dining room, and eat-in kitchen, which has granite countertops and a wood-burning fireplace. There’s a screened-in porch off the dining room, with skylights and brick flooring, which leads to the backyard, where there’s a patio and play set.

    See more photos of the property here.

    Price: $764,000 | Size: 3,137 SF | Acreage: 1

    🗞️ What other Chester County residents are reading this week:

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • A Malvern teen is launching free art classes for kids | Inquirer Chester County

    A Malvern teen is launching free art classes for kids | Inquirer Chester County

    Hi, Chester County! 👋

    Welcome to the first full week of 2026. We’re kicking off the new year with the story of a Malvern teen who’s helping kids find joy in art. Also this week, four new county officials have been sworn in, West Bradford Township’s property taxes are being slashed, plus the search is on for a new tenant at the former Iron Hill in West Chester.

    We want your feedback! Tell us what you think of the newsletter by taking our survey or emailing us at chestercounty@inquirer.com.

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    A 15-year-old’s nonprofit looks to spread the joy of art

    Faridah Ismaila launched nonprofit A Paint-full of Promise to connect younger students with free monthly art classes.

    A Great Valley High School sophomore will soon be bringing her passion for art to young students in the district.

    Inspired by the phrase “Do what makes you happy,” Faridah Ismaila recently launched nonprofit A Paint-full of Promise to provide free monthly art classes for kindergarteners through sixth graders, The Inquirer’s Brooke Schultz reports.

    The program is slated to kick off this month with a winter wonderland-themed class. Ismaila is working with district educators to offer the workshops where students can learn new skills and express themselves.

    Read more about what inspired A Paint-full of Promise.

    📍 Countywide News

    💡 Community News

    • Erica Deuso was sworn in Monday as mayor of Downingtown, making her the first openly transgender mayor in the state.
    • A person on a trail on Warwick Furnace Road in Warwick Township was recently injured by a coyote, prompting the Chester County Health Department to look for the animal. It’s unknown if the coyote is rabid.
    • Residents of West Bradford Township will see a decrease in their property taxes this year, bucking a trend in the region. The 50% reduction is due in part to a mix of savings during the pandemic and more revenue from long-term leases.
    • The community is mourning the death of photographer, filmmaker, and Kennett Square resident Robert Caputo, who died Dec. 18 at a voluntary assisted dying center in Switzerland. Throughout his career, Mr. Caputo traveled the world, producing stories, films, and photographs for National Geographic magazine, Time, PBS, and TNT. The 76-year-old was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease last year.
    • A Malvern office building at 52 Swedesford Rd. is poised for demolition to make way for a mixed-use development with 250 apartments and retail space, including a market and cafe. (Philadelphia Business Journal)
    • The 33,000-square-foot Acme-anchored shopping center at 785 Starr St. in Phoenixville recently sold for nearly $7.4 million. The sale didn’t include Acme’s space.
    • The state’s Department of Environmental Protection is expected to evaluate surface and well water at the Bishop Tube HSCA Site in East Whiteland Township this month for contaminants such as PFAS, volatile organic compounds, and inorganics, as well as fluoride.
    • The Paoli Memorial Association in Malvern has been awarded a $325,000 grant, which will help fund construction of the Paoli-Malvern Heritage Center. The center, which will be adjacent to the Paoli Battlefield, will preserve an 1817 obelisk and offer interpretive exhibits.
    • Several Chester County communities have received funding from the state’s Green Light-Go Program aimed at improving traffic safety and mobility. Upper Uwchlan Township has been awarded over $920,000 to upgrade detection and controller equipment at Route 100 and Graphite Mine Road. West Whiteland Township is getting nearly $390,000 to upgrade multiple intersections along Route 100 and Commerce Drive. And East Whiteland Township will get almost $192,000 to modernize Lancaster Avenue and Conestoga Road.
    • Heads up for drivers: Asplundh will be pruning trees along Goshen Road between Pottstown Pike and Hillside Drive in West Chester throughout the first quarter of 2026.
    • Paoli Hospital is among Forbes Top Hospitals for 2026 and is the sole Chester County institution on the list.
    • Two new gyms are now open: CrossFit Reckoning opened this week at 199 Reeceville Rd. in Coatesville and Planet Fitness has opened at 270 Swedesford Rd. in Berwyn.
    • On Monday, Coatesville-based Presence Bank became part of Norwood Financial Corp.’s Wayne Bank after being acquired for $54.9 million. Presence has two Chester County branches, in Coatesville and Oxford.
    • Kennett Area Senior Center, the nonprofit helping older adults, took on a new name at the start of the year. It’s now known as The Gathering Place at Kennett.
    • Looking to dispose of your Christmas tree? Upper Uwchlan will collect trees curbside on Jan. 15; Spring City residents can place trees curbside daily through Jan. 30 for pickup; East Pikeland residents can place trees curbside on Wednesdays in January or drop them off at the township yard waste recycling facility; West Vincent residents can drop them off at the township building through Jan. 23; and Phoenixville residents can place them curbside with trash through Feb. 28. Trees can also be dropped off at the compost site at 18 S. 2nd Ave.
    • It’s the last chance for residents in Easttown (through Jan. 12) and Upper Uwchlan (through Jan. 15) to recycle old holiday lights.

    🏫 Schools Briefing

    • Tredyffrin/Easttown School District is hosting its elementary new student registration window for next school year from Jan. 20-26. Learn more here.
    • West Chester Area School District has an opening on its school board following Alex Christy’s resignation ahead of his term’s expiration next December. Applications to fill the vacancy are open until noon on Jan. 21.
    • Coatesville offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller was named to Sporting News’ 2025 High School Football All-America Team. The junior is rated the top interior offensive line in his class.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    • The search is on for someone to take over the former Iron Hill Brewery in West Chester. Over the holidays, building owner John Barry acquired the liquor license and all assets inside the space, which he said will help him “to get a better tenant in there.”
    • In case you missed it, The Inquirer’s Michael Klein reflected on the most notable restaurant openings of 2025. They include Bao Nine in Malvern, The Borough in Downingtown, Jolene’s in West Chester, L’Olivo Trattoria in Exton, The Local in Phoenixville, and Stubborn Goat Brewing in West Grove. See the full list here. The Borough also made Klein’s roundup of the best new pizza restaurants to open in the region last year.
    • As for the best things Inquirer food writers ate last year, the Caramelia at Longwood Gardens’ 1906 restaurant was up there. Paying homage to Kennett Square’s mushroom industry, the red-topped mushroom-shaped dessert features chocolate mousse with espresso and caramel flavors.

    🎳 Things to Do

    🎨 An Ancestral Journey: Moore College of Art grad Roe Murray’s works will be on display for the next few weeks. She will also participate in an artist talk on Jan. 28. ⏰ Thursday, Jan. 8-Thursday, Jan. 29, times vary 💵 Free 📍 Chester County Art Association West Chester Galleries

    🎶 A Grand Night For Singing: This rendition will celebrate the wide-ranging works of Rodgers & Hammerstein with singing, dancing, and a live orchestra. ⏰ Friday, Jan. 9-Sunday, Jan. 18, select days and times 💵 $31.60-$36.70 📍 SALT Performing Arts, Chester Springs

    🧁 Pinkalicious the Musical: The musical adaptation of the book follows a pink-loving heroine who inadvertently turns herself into her favorite color by eating too many cupcakes. ⏰ Friday, Jan. 9-Sunday, Jan. 18, select days and times 💵 $21-$30 📍 Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, West Chester

    🏡 On the Market

    An airy four-bedroom Kennett Square carriage home

    The carriage home has a two-car garage and a screened-in porch that leads to a deck.

    Located in the Villages at Northridge, this Kennett Square carriage home is just a few years old. The great room, which has a fireplace, opens to the kitchen, where there’s two-toned cabinetry, an island with a farmhouse sink, a pantry, and a dining area with a built-in beverage station complete with a bar refrigerator and ice maker. The great room also has access to the screened-in porch, which leads to the deck. There are three bedrooms upstairs, including a primary suite with a walk-in closet and a bathroom with a double sink vanity. The finished lower level walk-out has another bedroom, a full bathroom, and a living room.

    See more photos of the property here.

    Price: $975,000 | Size: 3,544 SF | Acreage: 0.06

    🗞️ What other Chester County residents are reading this week:

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • Side-gig advice from people who make money on Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb in the Philadelphia area

    Side-gig advice from people who make money on Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb in the Philadelphia area

    The number of people doing gig work has increased significantly over the past few years. It was more than 76 million people in the U.S. last year, according to recent reports.

    And the work can pay well. Almost 5 million freelancers are earning more than $100,000 per year, according to freelancer site Upwork. These side gigs can include everything from driving an Uber and running an Airbnb to managing websites, tutoring, or even walking a dog.

    Benefits to this kind of work include flexibility, control, independence, variety, and the ability to make extra money outside a day job.

    But having a successful side gig isn’t easy.

    Marketing yourself and getting work is a topic for a different day. But before you get to that — and yes, you will need to — here are a few things you should know.

    It’s a business

    Your side gig is a business, so make sure you’re treating it like one. You are an independent contractor and the company owner.

    You will need to track your costs and revenues separately from your personal life. You should probably have a separate bank account so funds aren’t intermingled.

    You may need insurance. This not only gives your business credibility, but it also makes it easier for companies to hire you as an independent contractor rather than classifying you as an employee.

    A proper contractor is “really someone already running their own business — they provide the service to a number of other companies,” said Sarah Holmes, a small-business attorney based in Ardmore.

    It helps to set up a corporation or limited liability company, said Jeff Burke, a partner at law firm McElroy Harvey in West Chester.

    “If you set up a corporation or an LLC and you’re doing a business-to-business contract, you are way more likely to pass muster,” Burke said. “A freelancer should have some written proof — business cards, advertisements, websites — that shows you’re actually out in the marketplace.”

    No matter what the business, you always have to remember that “you’re the owner,” Uber and Lyft driver Joseph Casasanto told me.

    “As drivers, we are independent business contractors,” he says. “So that means everything is our responsibility, like gas, oil changes, alignments, tires, repairs, miles, depreciation, etc.”

    Don’t ignore the paperwork

    As a business, you’ll need to make sure you’ve filed the right paperwork and take your taxes seriously. This means either reporting your income and expenses on the Schedule C to your individual tax return or setting up your business separately as an LLC, corporation, or other entity recognized for both federal and state purposes.

    Because your customers don’t withhold taxes like an employer does, you’ll need to pay in estimated taxes to avoid penalties and interest for underpaying throughout the year.

    Experienced freelancers, like part-time Uber driver Jason Napolitan, are scrupulous about tracking their expenses separately and keeping good tax records.

    “My expenses are not only the obvious ones like gas and insurance but also tires and wear and tear on my vehicle.” he said. “For example, I always make sure to track my mileage for the IRS allowance given on my taxes.”

    As a freelancer, you should have an agreement in writing that stipulates the services provided and is clear about your role, so that you’re in compliance with federal and state worker classification rules.

    Guidance around independent contractor rules has been shifting, said Josh Ganz, a labor and employment attorney at Duffy North in Hatboro. But there is a baseline to follow.

    Important questions to consider, he said, are: “Is your client or customer controlling your entire day? Do they tell you where to be and provide the tools for you?”

    Set boundaries

    Having a side gig should never affect your primary job. Make sure you have clear boundaries and there are no conflicts so you don’t get into trouble with your primary employer.

    Running a side gig means you’ll have a lot to juggle between your personal life, your job, and your business. So it’s important to create a schedule. Your customers will want to know when you’re available and so will your family.

    It’s important to set goals as to how much you want to earn and stick to those parameters. It’s easy to get caught up in doing the extra work but it can also quickly take up your time.

    “If you want to do this full time, you have to set goals,” Lyft driver Kendra Brigman said. “You have to have a good attitude when you’re doing your side gig and provide great service. But your availability is also very important.”

    Be smart about pricing

    If you’re doing freelance work for an established company like Uber or Lyft, those rates are usually set for you. Others, like Airbnb, can suggest rates based on your local market. But the rest will be up to you.

    Setting a price too low may set a precedent that becomes unprofitable over the long term. Charging too much may turn off potential customers. You’ll need to research the competition and make a few mistakes over time to learn the right balance.

    It’s also important to know your limitations.

    For example, Airbnb host Julie Seda said, “We are always up-front to prospective guests that our house is not suitable for people with mobility restraints.”

    Lyft driver Brigman said knowing your pricing and comparing it with what you’re being asked to do can make a big difference, and it’s important to figure out what’s worth your time.

    “Sometimes the miles requested doesn’t equate with the amount of money I would like to earn,” she said. “I’ve learned to turn down those jobs.”

  • P.J. Whelihan’s restaurant group may move into a former Iron Hill Brewery

    P.J. Whelihan’s restaurant group may move into a former Iron Hill Brewery

    The company that owns P.J. Whelihan’s may be moving into a former Iron Hill Brewery in Bucks County.

    PJW Opco LLC, which is registered at the headquarters of PJW Restaurant Group, was approved to take over a lease for the shuttered Iron Hill in Newtown, effective Dec. 31, according to documents filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey.

    PJW marketing director Kristen Foord declined to comment.

    The nearly 8,000-square-foot brewpub in the Village at Newtown shopping center has sat empty since September, when Iron Hill abruptly closed all its locations and filed for liquidation bankruptcy. The Newtown Iron Hill had been among the chain’s newest locations, having opened in 2020.

    A view from the outside looking in on the closed Iron Hill Brewery in West Chester in October.

    Brixmor Property Group, which owns the Village at Newtown, is “excited about what’s in the works” for the former Iron Hill space, spokesperson Maria Pace said in a statement, but she declined to share details.

    The court documents did not indicate PJW’s plans for the Newtown site.

    PJW’s most well-known franchise is P.J. Whelihan’s, the regional bar-restaurant chain that started in the Poconos in 1983. There are now 25 P.J. Whelihan’s locations from Harrisburg to Washington Township, with the vast majority in the Philadelphia area.

    Haddon Township-based PJW also owns the Pour House, which has locations in Exton, North Wales, and Westmont, Haddon Township; the ChopHouse in Gibbsboro; the ChopHouse Grille in Exton; Central Taco & Tequila in Westmont; and Treno, also in Westmont.

    The P.J. Whelihan’s on Route 70 in Cherry Hill.

    As 2026 gets underway, Iron Hill’s bankruptcy case continues to make its way through the courts. In recent weeks, Iron Hill’s leases in Exton, Maple Shade, and North Wales were formally rejected, according to court documents. That means these empty breweries are getting closer to finding new tenants.

    At the Shops at Eagleview in Exton, landlord Suresh Kagithapu is already advertising the nearly 20,000-square-foot taphouse and production facility that Iron Hill vacated.

    “Any out-of-town brewery with plans to leverage existing brewery infrastructure and scale its operations in the region would be a good fit, as it would save significant tenant improvement costs,” Kagithapu said in a statement. “I also believe a grocery store would serve the community very well.”

    The Iron Hill Brewery TapHouse in Exton is pictured in 2020. After Iron Hill’s bankruptcy, the Exton landlord is seeking a new tenant for the massive space.

    In West Chester, landlord John Barry is also on the hunt for a new restaurateur to take over prime real estate long occupied by Iron Hill.

    On Christmas Eve, Barry, a Massachusetts-based real estate investor, inked a deal to buy the liquor license and all interior assets of the location at the borough’s central corner of High and Gay Streets.

    “It will not be reopening as Iron Hill Brewery,” Barry said in a recent interview. “My goal would be to find something similar,” though not necessarily a brewery.

    Barry purchased the assets from Jeff Crivello, the former CEO of Famous Dave’s BBQ, who in November was approved by a bankruptcy judge to revive 10 Iron Hills under the same name or as a new concept. Barry and Crivello declined to disclose the financial details of the West Chester deal.

    Pedestrians walk by the closed Iron Hill Brewery in West Chester in October.

    Crivello said he has since sold the assets of the South Carolina Iron Hills — in Columbia and Greenville — to Virginia-based Three Notch’d Brewing Co.

    The Newtown location was originally among the locations of which Crivello was approved to buy the assets, pending negotiations with landlords. Court documents indicate the asset sale was put on hold amid a landlord objection.

    Founded in Newark, Del., Iron Hill Brewery operated for nearly 30 years, earning a reputation as a local craft-brewing pioneer and a family-friendly mainstay in the Philadelphia suburbs. In recent years, the chain had expanded into South Carolina and Georgia and had announced plans to open a Temple University location that never materialized.

    When brewery executives filed for bankruptcy, they reported that they owed $20 million to creditors and had about $125,000 in the bank.

  • Iron Hill Brewery in West Chester is officially seeking a new tenant

    Iron Hill Brewery in West Chester is officially seeking a new tenant

    The search is on for a new restaurateur to take over the shuttered Iron Hill Brewery in West Chester, after the building’s owner bought the assets from the former CEO of Famous Dave’s BBQ.

    John Barry, a Massachusetts-based real estate investor who owns the building, and Jeff Crivello, the ex-CEO of Famous Dave’s, said Friday that Barry purchased the liquor license and all assets inside the former West Chester Iron Hill, one of 16 locations that closed abruptly this fall when the regional chain filed for bankruptcy.

    In November, Crivello had said he intended to revive the West Chester Iron Hill, under the same name or as a new concept, after a bankruptcy judge approved his offer to buy the assets of the location and nine others in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and South Carolina.

    A view from the outside looking in of the closed Iron Hill Brewery in West Chester in October.

    Both Barry and Crivello declined to disclose financial details of the West Chester deal, which was finalized on Christmas Eve. It was first reported Wednesday by Hello, West Chester, a local news website.

    “As a landlord, I was hoping to have a chance to purchase the assets,” Barry said Friday in an interview. “I wanted to buy and keep the liquor license with the building. It allows me to get a better tenant in there that is probably going to pay a little bit more in rent.”

    Iron Hill had anchored the old Woolworth’s building since 1998, when the brewery founders opened their second location there. Many local business owners credit Iron Hill with sparking a restaurant renaissance in the borough, as the brewery did in other Philadelphia suburbs.

    Shuttered Iron Hill breweries sit empty across the Philly area. What will become of them?

    Situated at West Chester’s central corner of High and Gay Streets, Iron Hill had a 30-year lease, with a 15-year extension, Barry said.

    Barry, a West Chester native who now lives outside Boston, purchased the nearly 30,000-square-foot building for $8.25 million in 2022, according to Chester County property records.

    Barry said the next anchor tenant would take over a new lease for the now-vacant 10,000-square-foot space that can seat 300 people. He declined to specify what the lease terms might be.

    “It will not be reopening as Iron Hill Brewery,” said Barry, who didn’t buy the rights to the name. “My goal would be to find something similar,” though not necessarily a brewery.

    In buying the assets, Barry said the restaurant is essentially turnkey, with all the furniture and kitchen and brewing equipment still inside. A new tenant, however, may want to redesign, he said, or the space could even be subdivided for a restaurant and a retail space.

    A view from the outside looking in the now closed Iron Hill Brewery in West Chester in October.

    “It’s really important to me that we find the right tenant for the West Chester community,” Barry said. “It’ll take a little bit of time.”

    But, he added, “my hope is we get somebody in there and operating by the summer.”

    Elsewhere, Crivello said there is still hope that the Iron Hill brand could get another life.

    “We’re working with a couple buyers that want to reopen [closed breweries] as Iron Hill,” Crivello said. He declined to say which locations could be resurrected.

    In November, Crivello got the OK to acquire the assets of former Iron Hill brewpubs in Center City, Huntingdon Valley, Newtown, Wilmington, Lancaster, Hershey, and Rehoboth Beach, as well as West Chester and the two locations in South Carolina.

    Crivello said Friday that he has since sold the assets of the former Iron Hills in Columbia and Greenville, S.C., to Virginia-based Three Notch’d Brewing Co. He said plans for the other locations were still in the works.

  • A look back at Philly-area businesses that didn’t survive 2025

    A look back at Philly-area businesses that didn’t survive 2025

    Last year, you may have celebrated Christmas or New Year’s with a meal at an Iron Hill Brewery.

    At the time, your holiday preparations may have included trips to Joann fabrics or Party City, which was having its going-out-of-business sale. You may have stopped for medicines and other toiletries at Rite Aid.

    This year, however, you can’t go to any of those places: All of these businesses served their last customers in 2025.

    Here’s a look back at a few of the notable Philly-area businesses that closed in the past year.

    RIP to Rite Aid

    The then-still open but scheduled to be closed Rite Aid store on Clements Bridge Road in Barrington on July 13. The store’s pharmacy closed on July 7.

    It didn’t come as a total surprise when Rite Aid filed for its second bankruptcy in less than two years.

    The Navy Yard-based pharmacy chain had closed dozens of locations in recent years. Even after it emerged from its first bankruptcy in September 2024, shelves meant to be filled with drugstore essentials — such as cold medicines and pain relievers — remained bare at some stores.

    In filing for bankruptcy again, Rite Aid announced that it would be closing or selling all locations. At the time, it had about 1,000 stores nationwide, including about 100 in the Philadelphia region.

    The rise and fall of Rite Aid

    Across Pennsylvania and New Jersey, thousands of Rite Aid workers lost their jobs. Some, like Angela Gardin, also said bittersweet goodbyes to regular customers.

    Gardin, assistant manager at the Queen Village Rite Aid, was moved to tears by customers’ handwritten thank you notes, which were scrawled on pieces of paper and taped to the store’s front window in its final months.

    By late August, all Pennsylvania and New Jersey Rite Aids had shut their doors for good, sending prescriptions to CVS, Walgreens, or other local pharmacies of a customer’s choosing.

    The closures further exacerbate pharmacy access issues, especially for lower-income Philadelphians who don’t have cars. People in more isolated rural areas are also impacted: The 46,000 residents of Perry County, west of Harrisburg, lost half their pharmacies when their three Rite Aids closed.

    Adieu to Iron Hill Brewery

    A view from the outside looking in of a shuttered Iron Hill Brewery in West Chester in October.

    Iron Hill Brewery’s closure was so abrupt that fans didn’t even get to raise one last pint to the regional chain.

    On a Thursday morning in late September, the nearly 30-year-old company, considered by many to be a pioneer of the local craft-brewing scene, announced that its brewpubs had closed their doors for the last time.

    The news left 16 massive Iron Hill shells, including in Center City, Exton, Huntingdon Valley, Maple Shade, Media, Newtown, North Wales, West Chester, and Wilmington. Earlier in September, the company had closed locations in Chestnut Hill and Voorhees, as well as its flagship brewery in Newark, Del.

    The closed Iron Hill Brewery in Maple Shade in September.

    Bankruptcy filings shed more light on the Exton-based company’s financial straits: Iron Hill owed more than $20 million to creditors and had about $125,000 in the bank.

    In November, a bankruptcy judge approved an offer by Jeff Crivello, the former CEO of Famous Dave’s BBQ, to resurrect 10 Iron Hills, including in Center City and West Chester, pending landlord negotiations. The restaurants could be reopened as Iron Hills or as other brands.

    Crivello said he plans to reopen the Rehoboth Beach brewpub — as well as the Iron Hill restaurants in Columbia and Greenville, S.C. — as locations of Virginia-based Three Notch’d Brewing Co.

    The fates of the other ex-Iron Hills will be determined in the bankruptcy process. Brewing equipment, furniture, and other items from the closed restaurants were auctioned off earlier this month.

    Mainstays say goodbye in the Philly burbs

    Gladwyne Market as pictured in October.

    Local chains weren’t the only business casualties of 2025.

    Main Line residents lost Lower Merion-based Maxwell Taxi Cab Co. in February, marking the end of an era for suburban-based cabs. Maxwell, which had operated for more than 50 years, was later acquired by a Bryn Mawr-based limo service called ML Car Service Ltd.

    Also in Lower Merion, consumers lost the Gladwyne Market, a community grocery store.

    In South Jersey, the Bistro at Cherry Hill, a beloved restaurant that operated in a 1,200-square-foot mall kiosk for 27 years, closed abruptly in July.

    At the time, the restaurant’s president, Andy Cosenza, said the closure was due to a communication “breakdown” that had resulted in his voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition being converted to a Chapter 7, or liquidation, without his knowledge. Since then, however, Cosenza has been indicted on charges of tax fraud. The Bistro has remained closed.

    In the city, the Macy’s in the Wanamaker Building closed in March, as did the Macy’s at the near-dead Exton Square Mall. And the latest iteration of Olde Bar, most recently an event venue in the historic Bookbinder’s building, shut its doors this summer.